Announcing its production update for the three month period ended March 31, 2017 (Q1), Anglo American said that total rough diamond production under De Beers increased by eight per cent to 7.4 million carats, reflecting the contribution of the ongoing ramp up at Gahcho Kué in Canada, as well as increases at other locations in response to improved trading conditions.

Giving a break up of the production, De Beers said that:

Production at Debswana (Botswana) decreased marginally to 5.2 million carats with the eight per cent fall in production at Jwaneng due to expected lower grades, partly offset by Orapa, which increased five per cent due to higher grades.

De Beers Consolidated Mines (DBCM) in South Africa reported a 19 per cent increase in production to 1.1 million carats, largely as a result of higher grades at Venetia.

At Namdeb Holdings (Namibia), production increased six per cent to 472,000 carats due to marginally higher grade at Namdeb.

With Gahcho Kué, where De Beers has a 51 per cent stake, reaching commercial production on March 2, 2017, De Beers Canada reported a 290 per cent rise in produciton to 631,000 carats.

De Beers reported that total rough diamond sales volumes in Q1 2017 were 14.1 million carats (13.7 million carats on a consolidated basis) from three Sights, compared with 8.1 million carats (7.6 million carats on a consolidated basis) from two Sights in Q1 2016.

The Company said that the increase reflected stronger demand in Sight 1 2017, particularly for lower value goods in stock at 31 December 2016.

It stated that consolidated sales volumes exclude De Beers’ JV partners’ 50 per cent proportionate share of sales to entities outside The De Beers Group of Companies from the Diamond Trading Company Botswana and the Namibia Diamond Trading Company, and includes pre-commercial production sales volumes from Gahcho Kué.

De Beers noted that full year production guidance (on a 100 per cent basis, except for the Gahcho Kué joint venture which is on an attributable 51 per cent basis) remains unchanged at 31 to 33 million carats, subject to trading conditions.